Top Dog: Todd Gilliland
NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge has provided some iconic moments in its short history. Most famous of all was Ty Dillon’s miracle run in the challenge’s inaugural campaign last year, where he went from the 32nd seed to the final round. Though he came up short, Dillion’s run was popularized in NASCAR internet culture. With the tournament returning in 2026, we knew there would be more bracket-busting upsets.
Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland entered the In-Season Challenge seeded 25th but survived his way through to become one of the four drivers remaining in the bracket. Even by the time he reached the round of eight at EchoPark Speedway, he was the only small-team driver left in the tournament, representing Front Row Motorsports.
After finishing ahead of Alex Bowman in their matchup last week, Gilliland was the underdog yet again at North Wilkesboro Speedway, facing Bowman’s teammate Chase Elliott.
Fresh off of a contract extension, Gilliland and the No. 34 team ran a great race at North Wilkesboro, controlling what they could and not making any unforced errors. With an untimely caution trapping Elliott a lap down, Gilliland ran ahead of the No. 9 for the rest of the race and advanced to the final round of the In-Season Challenge.
The Climb to the Top
The Sherrills Ford, N.C., native started 18th due to the field being set by NASCAR’s qualifying metric after Saturday’s (July 18) session was rained out. Stage one was decent for the team, with Gilliland finishing 15th in the segment.
In stage two, Gilliland continued to climb and sniff the top 10. Midway through the stage, the pit cycle began, and the No. 34 team opted to wait longer before coming into the pits. Gilliland’s In-Season Challenge opponent, Elliott, pitted during this cycle. Before Gilliland could come in for tires, the caution was thrown for an incident on the backstretch. The No. 34 team got their tires, while Elliott restarted one lap behind. Gilliland was fast at the front of the field, finishing ninth in stage two.
With a bit under half the race left and his bracket opponent trapped a lap down, things were looking good for Gilliland. He just had to stay ahead, but that is easier said than done in motorsports. The No. 34 still had speed running with the stars of the sport, picking up a pair of positions as the laps ticked off to run inside the top 10. Gilliland pitted in the middle of the final segment, setting up the final run. Once the cycle completed, he was situated in seventh.
Gilliland kept his pace up in the run to the checkered flag, finishing eighth in the end. Not only will he race for one-million dollars next week, but he also gave FRM one of its best runs of the year.
Looking Ahead
FRM has been in contention for multiple top 10s this year on pace. Though circumstances helped Gilliland at North Wilkesboro, he did pass other cars en route to his eighth-place finish. The best thing a smaller team can do is maximize the good days and not make unforced errors. Gilliland and FRM did just that.
Gilliland moves on to the final round of the In-Season Challenge, and will go head-to-head with Ryan Blaney at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
On pace, it is going to be tough to beat Blaney at Indianapolis. However, it is still very much possible. If Gilliland avoids wrecks, hits his marks and the team does well around him, Gilliland can pull off the upset.
Top Dogs of the Lower Series
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: For the second consecutive week, Landon Lewis deserves a shout out. Lewis did well in his last race at Lime Rock Park, running just behind race winner Grant Enfinger on the final lap, but he ultimately came one spot short of the win.
Starting in 16th at North Wilkesboro, Lewis drove the Niece Motorsports No. 45 Silverado to a fifth-place finish. It was the best finish for Niece on Saturday, and even more impressive considering Lewis had only made seven Truck Series starts before this weekend. A regular competitor in the CARS Tour, the 20-year-old is already looking like an expert on the short tracks.
Small Team Scheme of the Week
A great paint scheme doesn’t have to be complex. Sometimes a simplistic design can steal the show if the colors work well together, and that is what Team Reaume gave us with its No. 2 Ford F-150. Driven by Luke Baldwin, the Mohawk-sponsored truck was tri-colored, consisting of a white base with blue and red patches with harsh-angled shapes separating each hue.
The No. 2 team had a tough race, with a spin just before halfway setting Baldwin back for the rest of the race. Baldwin finished 33rd, but the colorful truck stood out on track.
Todd or his car owner?